I recently had a chance to catch up on Halle Berry’s Sports Drama ‘Bruised’ on a Sunday. I don’t particularly care for Sports Drama as a genre, or MMA, but I chose to tune in firstly because it was Halle Berry.
Initially, I was taken aback by the blood and gore, the cussing and the explicit scenes. But then, as the story progressed, it was the human element that kept me going.
This is the movie in which she has not only acted but it is also her directorial debut. It is not just Jackie Justice, the characters of Bobbi Buddhakhan Berroa, Immaculate, Manny and Yaves have been memorable. But the strength of the movie lies not in the cast, but the lessons it imparts.
The character reminded me of me, during different stages of my life, although I am anything but an MMA fighter. Likewise, it reminded me of the many tired, beat-up broken-from-the-outside women, warrior-from-the-inside-women like Jackie around me. It showed us that it was possible to dream and achieve yourself. And the universe is out there to help us…
Here are five life lessons the movie imparts, without being over preachy:
Learning to Take Responsibility
If you have had the misfortune to face tough circumstances, defeat and humiliation, you would understand how easy it is to stop striving, give up, and decide to hide in your safe zone. Likewise, you would also understand how easy it is to let yourself get sucked into the cycle of self-pity and blame.
“For once in your life, girl, handle your business.”
“I am not going to let that man hurt you. I’m big and you’re little, and big protects little.”
“I gotta figure my life out. But I gotta do it alone. By myself. For myself. For my son.”
When we learn to take responsibility for ourselves, we learn to let go of blame, all the excuses. We learn to take responsibility for our actions and carry our lives forward.
Turning Negative Energy as a Fuel
Dark, obsessive, compulsive emotions and thoughts are the ingredients for the recipe called “Self-destruction”. They make us stay stuck in negative patterns. They also make us turn into the worst possible versions of ourselves.
“No one decides to become all zen, and practice meditation and all that, because they did everything right.”
“You grew up with damage and survived on rage. and that rage carried you into the ring. With all that rage turned inward, your greatest weapon was pointing right back at you.”
“But that was then. So, what are you going to do now? Hm? Point that cannon back at yourself? Or point it at Lady Killer? Show them what you’re made of…”
What if we decide to turn our weaknesses into our strength? What if we can use our anger, our disappointments, and rage against others, against the unfairness of life as a weapon and fuel? We can channel all this negative energy into a goal and create outcomes.
Wanting to Be a Better Person
Moms who aren’t perfect but want to be perfect for their children would identify with Jackie’s struggle. They would identify that moms aren’t always perfect. We think that we are fighters, so we can’ be moms. But being fighters is exactly what makes us better moms.
“You know where we’re going, Manny? Me neither. And it’s okay. We going to figure it out!”
“You scared? I used to be scared when I was little too. Sometimes I am still scared. But Big is going to be OK.”
“You were with me, Manny. Little helped Big.”
Then again, kids are the catalysts that can help us become the better version of ourselves.
Redemption
‘Bruised’ is all about redemption, second chances. It brings home the ostensible necessity of getting up and trying after every bruise and every fall.
“You know, when I got out, a man gave me a second chance, Jackie. Now a few years later, I’m sitting here with you. Offering you a chance.”
Whether it’s Immaculate or Buddhakhan giving Jackie, a washed-out, had-been, a chance, or Jackie trying to be a better mom to the child she had abandoned, or Jackie’s mom trying to secretly tune in to watch her estranged daughter’s fight.
Entitlement
Being broken down many times by life and by our expectations, we forget what we actually deserve. We accept that we don’t deserve anything good because we aren’t that good! The movie reminds us that we are worthy, we are good.
“She may be beaten but she is not done.”
“Show them what you’re made of, and get some money, because you deserve that. You deserve every good thing in this world.”
“Justice is being served some love on this boardwalk crowd tonight.”
“You didn’t need me in there for that fight….But you had it all in you!”
Halle’s character, Jackie Justice, reminds us that we are all fallen, fragile and fractured. Above all, this character reminds us that redemption is possible, if not glory.
The Final Thought
Movies are not just for entertainment. Many of us hold an invincible power to touch us, move us, and remind us that life is not all black and white. They impart lessons on us even when we are not looking/wanting to learn them. “Bruised” just did that!
